Portfolios by year2016

The 20 best stocks of 2016 according to reliable analysts

3 JPI methods (Light / Fair / Risk +) · selected early January 2016, held 12 months · real return · S&P 500 · Updated 2026-07-08
In short — in early 2016, the 3 JPI methods (based on the most reliable analysts, ≥2 who beat their sector) would each have selected 20 S&P 500 stocks, held 12 months. Real results: 🟢 Light +15% · 🎯 Fair +16% · ⚡ Risk+ +18% — vs +10% for the S&P 500. Best selection (Fair): HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) at +52%.

These stocks were not cherry-picked in hindsight: they are the ones the method would have selected using only info known by end of 2015 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.

🟢 JPI Light +15% · vs S&P 500 +10% · +5.8 pts

#Stock12-month return
1MU Micron Technology+55%
2HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise+52%
3CFG Citizens Financial Group+36%
4AKAM Akamai Technologies+27%
5ACGL Arch Capital Group+24%
6MAR Marriott International+23%
7CMCSA Comcast+22%
8YUM Yum! Brands+21%
9RJF Raymond James Financial+20%
10EW Edwards Lifesciences+19%
11NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+15%
12CBOE Cboe Global Markets+14%
13DHR Danaher Corporation+11%
14AIG American International Group+5%
15NRG NRG Energy+4%
16KKR KKR & Co.-1%
17SWKS Skyworks Solutions-3%
18CCL Carnival Corporation-4%
19CNC Centene Corporation-14%
20WSM Williams-Sonoma, Inc.-17%

🎯 JPI Fair +16% · vs S&P 500 +10% · +6.8 pts

#Stock12-month return
1HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise+52%
2FANG Diamondback Energy+51%
3KMI Kinder Morgan+39%
4QCOM Qualcomm+30%
5ON ON Semiconductor+30%
6AKAM Akamai Technologies+27%
7EQT EQT Corporation+25%
8HPQ HP Inc.+25%
9MAR Marriott International+23%
10CMCSA Comcast+22%
11NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+15%
12WDC Western Digital+13%
13MET MetLife+12%
14NRG NRG Energy+4%
15KKR KKR & Co.-1%
16SWKS Skyworks Solutions-3%
17MPC Marathon Petroleum-3%
18BX Blackstone Inc.-8%
19F Ford Motor Company-14%
20CNC Centene Corporation-14%

⚡ JPI Risk + +18% · vs S&P 500 +10% · +8.0 pts

#Stock12-month return
1TRGP Targa Resources+107%
2HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise+52%
3CSX CSX Corporation+39%
4PCAR Paccar+35%
5EQT EQT Corporation+25%
6HPQ HP Inc.+25%
7ACGL Arch Capital Group+24%
8CMCSA Comcast+22%
9LNT Alliant Energy+21%
10EW Edwards Lifesciences+19%
11NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+15%
12WDC Western Digital+13%
13ETR Entergy+8%
14TJX TJX Companies+6%
15NRG NRG Energy+4%
16KKR KKR & Co.-1%
17HRL Hormel Foods-12%
18CNC Centene Corporation-14%
19WSM Williams-Sonoma, Inc.-17%
20NKE Nike, Inc.-19%

What if you'd kept following the method in 2017?

In short — not every year is positive: this is not a miracle method. 2016 shows it — the JPI Fair method returned +16%, better than the S&P 500 (+10%). But the method replays every year: in 2017, the 20 newly recommended stocks returned +24%. Outcome if you kept going (accept 2016, then buy the 2017 picks): +44% over 2 years — vs +31% for the S&P 500.
YearJPI FairS&P 500
2016+16%+10%
2017+24%+19%
2-year cumulative (if you kept going)+44%+31%

💡 The takeaway — you have to accept the average or down years and stay in the method (sell, rebuy the newly recommended names). Whoever panics after a bad year misses the rebound. Discipline > emotion.

💡 Read it honestly: one good year proves nothing — the method also has down years (2018, 2022). The real judge is the 11-year backtest. Price returns, excluding dividends and fees. Not a buy recommendation.

📊 See the full 11-year backtest → 🎯 Stocks to buy today →

📅← 2015 · All years · 2017 →

FAQ

What were the best stocks to buy in 2016?

Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 S&P 500 stocks selected in early 2016 returned +16.4% on average over 12 months, vs 9.6% for the index. The best was HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) at +52%. See the full list above.

How were these 2016 stocks chosen?

With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2015 (price targets from analysts with a real reliability track record on their sector), then held 12 months. A point-in-time backtest, not a hindsight pick.

Does this method actually work?

Over 11 years (2015-2025), the JPI Fair method returned +26%/yr vs +12.6% for the S&P 500 — double the market. But it's lumpy (drawdowns in 2018 and 2022) and risk-adjusted the edge is thinner. A quality signal, not a guarantee.

What is JPI Invest?

JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500 (plus the S&P MidCap 400), replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.

Explore JPI Invest for free → How it works: the method →

⚠️ Educational analysis, not investment advice. Point-in-time backtest on recomputed Yahoo data, universe = stocks still in the index (survivorship bias). Past performance does not predict the future. · Updated 2026-07-08
JPI AI Analyst AI assistant · JPI Invest
Answers based on the tool’s data · not financial advice · full version (free)